Pulpo a la Gallega

Pulpo a la gallega is boiled octopus, snipped into rounds and dressed with olive oil, coarse salt and pimentón. It comes from Galicia in north-west Spain, and its other name — pulpo á feira, fair-style octopus — records where it was eaten: sold from great copper pots by pulpeiras at village fairs.

What it actually is

The octopus is boiled, traditionally in a copper pot. Before it goes in properly, it is dipped in and out of the boiling water three times — a step called asustar el pulpo, "scaring the octopus", which helps the skin stay on the tentacles.

It then simmers until tender, roughly thirty to forty-five minutes depending on size, and is snipped into rounds with scissors rather than cut with a knife.

The rounds go over slices of boiled potato (cachelos) on a wooden plate, dressed with good olive oil, coarse sea salt and pimentón — sweet, hot, or a mix of both.

How it's served

• On a wooden plate, which is traditional and absorbs a little of the moisture.
• With toothpicks, not cutlery.
• With bread and a young Galician white, usually Ribeiro.
• Warm, never fridge-cold.

Writing it on a menu

• Say whether the pimentón is sweet or hot — it is the seasoning that defines the plate.
• State whether it comes with potato underneath, and give a portion weight.
• Flag molluscs: one of the 14 allergens that must be declared in the EU.
• It is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, which is worth saying — there are not many such dishes on a Spanish menu.